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Full-Text Articles in Medical Jurisprudence
Public And Private Justice: Redressing Health Care Harm In Japan, Robert B. Leflar
Public And Private Justice: Redressing Health Care Harm In Japan, Robert B. Leflar
Robert B Leflar
Japanese legal structures addressing health care-related deaths and injuries rely more on public law institutions and rules than do the common-law North American jurisdictions, where private law adjudication is predominant. This article explores four developments in 21st-century Japanese health care law. The first two are in the public law sphere: criminal prosecutions of health care personnel accused of medical errors, and a health ministry-sponsored “Model Project” to analyze medical-practice-associated deaths. The article addresses a private law innovation: health care divisions of trial courts in several metropolitan areas. Finally, the article introduces Japan’s new no-fault program for compensating birth-related obstetrical injuries. …
The Regulation Of Medical Malpractice In Japan, Robert Leflar
The Regulation Of Medical Malpractice In Japan, Robert Leflar
Robert B Leflar
How Japanese legal and social institutions handle medical errors is little known outside Japan. For almost all of the 20th century, a paternalistic paradigm prevailed. Characteristics of the legal environment affecting Japanese medicine included few attorneys handling medical cases, low litigation rates, long delays, predictable damage awards, and low-cost malpractice insurance. However, transparency principles have gained traction and public concern over medical errors has intensified. Recent legal developments include courts' adoption of a less deferential standard of informed consent; increases in the numbers of malpractice claims and of practicing attorneys; more efficient claims handling by specialist judges and speedier trials; …